February 2021
Falling Away
Chapter 16 of John’s Gospel account marks the last discourse between Jesus and His disciples before going to the cross, and it begins and ends with words of explanation from Jesus. “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.” (verse 1) and “I have said these things to you, […]
To Abide in Christ
If you get a chance before you listen to this message, read the fifteenth chapter of John. That’s the portion of scripture that we will be studying together. If your preferred version of the Bible is the King James, ESV or NASB count the number of times the word “abide” occurs as you read. If […]
Saint Valentine Was Single
This Sunday fell on Saint Valentine’s Day. According to church history, Valentine was a Christian priest, or possibly a Bishop, living in Rome who was martyred on February 14th in 269 AD during the reign of Claudius II for the crime of marrying Christian couples against the orders of Caesar. In time, he would be […]
Greater Works and the Means to Accomplish Them
As I was reading my way through chapter 14 this week I was brought up short by something Jesus said. In verse 12, Jesus explains to His disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because […]
January 2021
A Thumbnail Image of Heaven
Back in 2011, for our tenth anniversary Sarah and I talked her Mom into watching the kids for a week and we made reservations at The Clement Hotel in Monterey, California. We had originally planned to do something really, super-duper splashy for our tenth but then reality and certain pesky things like budgets, car repairs […]
Disciple In Training
In the book of 1 Peter the Apostle Peter writes to his fellow believers scattered abroad and encourages them, among other things, not to fear those who would seek to harm them because of their association with Christ. “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled…,” he writes. Then he continues, “but in your hearts […]
Counterfeit Disciple
Have you ever seen a counterfeit bill? I’ve never actually seen or handled one myself, but I have seen some pictures online that looked pretty convincing. I suppose if it’s done well a counterfeit bill will look and feel very much like the real thing. This Sunday as we continue our study through the Gospel […]
Exploring a Mystery
In Acts 20:27 Paul told the Elders of the Ephesian church, “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” It is because we desire to receive the whole counsel of God that we have set out to study our way through an entire book of the Bible. We want to […]
Stealing Pennies From A Golden Bowl
A family dinner creates connection, and, as Christians, we ought to know this from church. Too often when churches speak about “creating community” they mean some new program or a small group strategy or something slick and new that they feel will get people together. But in the Bible the focus of community is not […]
December 2020
Things Come to Those Who Wait
There are many crossroads in life that we come to, and New Year’s strikes me as a sort of little crossroads moment where the meandering path of our life, all the days that have come before, brings us to this new day, this new turning of the calendar. At the beginning of a new year […]
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